


When You're in Texas Look Behind You

by blackgoliath



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: F/F, for caroljess week!, steve and sam are kinda in it but yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 00:55:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackgoliath/pseuds/blackgoliath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The beginnings of a Western Carol/Jess au for caroljess week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You're in Texas Look Behind You

”Now I  _know_  you ain’t tryin’ ta muscle in on  _my_  town.”

Sheriff Danvers stood her ground in the middle of the dirt road that ran through the tiny frontier town she called home. Her people - what few of ‘em lived in town and not out on the ranches, anyway - peered through shuttered windows and out of cracked doors at the square off in the street. She could see Rogers out of the corner of her eye, innocently wiping down a glass as he gazed over the door to his saloon. She knew he kept a pistol at his hip and would be at her side in an instant if things went south. _  
_

So far, though, the motley gang of outlaws were staying just beyond the last building at the edge of town. Only their leader, the raven-haired woman know throughout these parts as “The Spider”, had dared venture further onto Carol’s land. 

The Spider held her hands up, a gesture of surrender. “I’m not thinking of muscling in on anyone’s town, Sheriff.”

"That ain’t what I heard." Carol kept her arms at her sides, fingers itching to whip her pistols from their holsters and fill this criminal full of holes. The way the Spider spoke - so soft and educated for a criminal - didn’t help Carol’s mood. "And don’t think I don’t see that Colt you’re carryin’."

The woman’s lip twitched up at the corner. “I had heard that you were the best in the business, Sheriff. I’m happy to see the rumors were true.” 

"You’ll get ta see how good a shot I am too if you don’t hustle on outta here."

"But you’ve yet to hear my offer," the Spider drawled. She took a step forward, and in an instant Carol had her pistols out, aimed straight at the outlaw’s heart. 

"Not one more step!" she yelled.

"Fine. Then you can come to me." To Carol’s surprise, the Spider took the Colt she had holstered on her belt and tossed it away. She even pulled out two knives from her boot; they joined the Colt in the dust. 

"I am unarmed now, Sheriff," the Spider called. "Can we talk?"

With Rogers’ help (and after the Spider had made her little band promise to stay outside the city limits, watched by Rogers and Carol’s deputy, Sam) they brought the Spider into the town jail, where Carol locked her in the cell, dragging a chair over in front of the bars and sitting on it so she could rest her arms on the back.

"So what’re you so eager ta talk about?" she asked warily.

The Spider smiled, and Carol had to look away. She could tell by the way her pulse rose that a smile like that could disarm her more easily than a kick to the gut. 

"No beating around the bush I see." The Spider sat back on the hard cot in the cell as if she were perched at the edge of a luxurious feather bed. "I’m here to make a deal."

Carol narrowed her eyes. “What kind of deal?”

"Have you heard of Madame Hydra?"

Carol sat a little straighter. Yes, she’d heard of Madame Hydra. If The Spider’s little band of outlaws were bad, Madame Hydra was ten times worse. An obvious criminal with legal backing and power, Madame Hydra was not someone you wanted to mess with.

She tried to hide the turmoil growing inside her. “Yeah, I have. What about her?”

"It’s rumored that she’s looking to buy up a lot of land for a railroad. Including land that your little town just happens to sit on."

So. That meant it was true; Carol had heard the same rumors. And if these outlaws knew about it….that didn’t bode well for Carol, or her town. 

"Well she ain’t gettin’ it, simple as that," Carol growled.

The Spider shook her head. “It’s not that simple. If you know of her, you must know of her methods. If you stand up to her, she’ll have her goons make your life a living hell until you give her what she wants.” 

"So I’ll fight back!" Carol pounded her fist into the palm of her opposite hand. The Spider smiled again.

"I appreciate your bravado, but it won’t be enough. You have maybe two others in this town who can shoot like you? The ranchers are too far away to help, if they even want to. No, you’re no match for Madame Hydra." The Spider’s smile grew into a smirk. "That’s where I come in."

"And you’ll just help us? Simple as that?"

"Madame Hydra is a threat to me too, Sheriff," the Spider explained. "She won’t stand for competition. But with my help, we can keep her from causing too much damage." The outlaw’s eyes gleamed in the dim light of the jail. "At least until I can kill her myself."

Carol shifted uneasily. She didn’t like killing as a rule, but in these parts it sometimes couldn’t be avoided. The frontier was a wild place and there were times when drastic measures were needed. 

"And what’s in it for you?"

"Payment, of course." The Spider stood up and crossed to the bars. "One thousand dollars."

Carol choked. “Are you  _crazy_? We ain’t got that kind of money!”

"I’ll accept payment in monthly installments. I will be here for a while, after all." She was still smirking. "It’s not as if you have much of a choice, Sheriff."

Carol irritably chewed her lip. The Spider was right, she  _didn’t_  have much of a choice. From what she’d heard about Madame Hydra, it didn’t take long for her underlings to terrorize a small town like this one into giving her all its land and packing up and leaving. And like hell was she going to let some smug rich city woman take  _her_  town. Pushing the chair out of the way, Carol stood too.

"And that’s it?" she asked, suspicious. "All you want is a grand in cash?"

"Hmm." The Spider bit her lip, and the way she slid her eyes down Carol’s body almost made the sheriff shudder. And not out of fear, either. "For now."

Carol pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m gonna regret this,” she muttered under her breath, then looked up and stuck out her hand.

"You got yourself a deal, Spider." 

The outlaw smiled, and for the first time since she’d walked into town, Carol thought she saw genuine pleasure in the curl of those red lips. 

"Please," the Spider said, "Call me Jessica."


End file.
